Apparatus for the activation or revivification of carbon



5 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENToRS' iv .MMA wub-JM BY m41 (Bm TM ATroRNEY '1 Oct. 2, 1928. O

S. A. W. OKELL ET AL APPARATUS FOR THE ACTIVATION OR REVIVIFIGATION OFy CARBON Filed Aug. l, 1925 Oefn 2, 1928.

' 1,686,100 s. A. w. OKELL ET AL APPARATUS Foa THEAGTIVATION 0R REVIVIFICATION 0F CARBON Filed Aug. 1, 1925 5 Shts-Sheet 2 p//Z f` I lNvENToRS SWAWOAHWMW* A BY mnd( 49M TM ATroRNEY oct 2, 192s. 1,686,100 S. A. W. OKELLv ETI' AL APPARATUS FOR THE ACTIYATION OR REVIVIFICATION OF CARBON Filed Aug. 1, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 lNvENjroRS SLL Afm 04H1. J-

,Y nd M MM TM ATroRNEY Parental ou. z, 192s.

UNITED STATES. PATENT OFFICE.

armure. w. exam., or armonia, ruimsnvanu, um Lnoiunb wrcxmmmr,

OI FUSHING, NEW YORK, ASBIGNOBS TO INDUSTRIAL CHEMICAL COHPANY, Ol"

. YORK, N. Y.; A CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

7 APPARATUS FOB THE ACTIVATION OB BEV'IV'IIICATION 0l' CARBON.

anneau ma .august i, 192s. serial 110. una

This invention relates to the activation or reviviiication of ',carbon. It is exceedingly useful for treatin decolorizing carbon of the type prepare from.r calcined carbonaceous liquid residues from paper pulp manufacture. It is also ap licabler to the treatment of absorptive car n derived from any source. l

In our copending application, Serial No. 626,935, it is ointed out that such liquid residues are advantageously subjected to a reliminar'y treatment with suitable gases 1n an electric furnace at temperatures in the neighborhood ci? 750 to- 950 C., as

therein more fully described, and then sub-Q jectedto an activating treatrnent at temperatures of 350 to 4:50'D C. in the presence of air. This invention may be advantageously empicyed inv lieu of the rotary type of appa- 'ratas described in detail in said appiieation, Serial No. 626,935, for carrying out the latter ste.

Accor to the present invention, the

articles o' carbon to be activated are fed Into a substantially horizontal troughdike apparatus in which the are exposed to the air at a suitable activating tem rature, say 450 C. in' a thin layer while being subjected to agitation of a 'character ada te to propel the charge through the troug and at the same time to e all sizes offthe carbon lparticles to equivalent conditions of treat#l p ment.

Theftro''gh apparatus may 'be conveniently made about 3 feet wide and 15 feet long, the carbon being fed in at one end and' vdischarged at the` other. The agitation and propulsion of' the carbon alon the trough 1s brought about byA means o a .series of rakes which oscillate longitudinally in respect to the trough. Some or all of the oscillating rakes are so shaped that they repel the carbon to a eater extent in'one direction than in the ot er, thus causing the mass to move toward the discharging end` of the trough in a thin layer whilev agitating, and lexposing the individual particleeto'sim'.` ilar cfnditions of l:.natment. I A

Re rrin tote rawings': isa side elevatigon and Fig. II t:dplnn view of ene form of apparatus adap for carrying f Aclamps out the invention; Fig. III is an enlarged side elevation partl 1n section of the feed end of the trou h; ig. IV is a cross section from the line -A of Fig. III looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

Again referring to the drawings: 1 represents a long shallow troughwhich, as above indicated, may be made about 15 feet long and 3 feet wide. It is mounted at a convenient height on standards 2. The bottom of trough 1 is advanta eouslyk lined with water-cooled cast iron ptes 3, exce t near thefeed end, and the sides with re actory material 4, as is best illustrated in Figs. 'III and IV.

Near the feed end o the trough the bottom is lined with cast iron plates 5 which are not provided with water jackets like the plates 3. Beneath the plates 5 are a series of gas burners which furnish an alternative or auxiliary heating means to the ciectricalv means hereinaer described. Carbonized residues oai the type above mentioned may conveniently be heated by such electrical means, but some other types oi can bon cannot be eectively heated by that electrical method. For such other types of carbon heating means such as the gas burners 6 may be employed. Y

Near the center of the trough is suspended a bar 9 which may be conveniently made of channel iron. The bar 9 is suspended by iron straps i'irom a series of cross bars 11.

The cross bars 11 are provided at. either end with grooved Vwheels 12 which rollv on tracks 13 on eachside of the trough. A.

Vwish bone 14 extends upward from the bar 9 and is pivoted at the to to a link 15 which is connected to a suita le power mechto the bar by clamps 19. The rakes 17 and 18 extend across the trough, as indicated in Fig. IV, and are adjustably attached to the 19 by set screws 50 in slots 51 so that the bottom' of the -rakes may be adjusted to clear the bottom of the ltrough by a nar- 'row margin. v

l n is usually desirable, a as museau in Figs. III and IV, to have some of the rakes, as 18, provided with straight bottom cross bars 53 so that they serve only for purposes of agitation, and some of the rakes, as 17, provided with V-shaped bottom cross bars 54 which tend to propel the charge gradually through the trough.

The propelling rakes 17 are so shaped that the rakes tend to slide through the charge more or less on the back stroke and to hold the charge more effectively on the front' stroke. Thus the charge is gradually advanced through the trough.

The charge advantageously in a hot condition, is fed into the trough by means of the feed hopper 20, and tends to pile itself in a sloping mound at the` feed end of the trough until it comes in contact with the electrode rakes 21 and 22. These electrode rakes 21 and 22 are attached to the bar 9 by means of clamps 23 and 24 which are carefully insulated from the bar 9 by sheets of mica, or other suitable insulating material (Fig. III). The clamp 24 is provided with a lateral extension 55 (Fig. II). From the clamp 23 and lateral extension 55 of clamp 24, uprights 25 and 26 connect horizontal bars 27 and 28 which slide through slots 29 and 30 in the electric brushes 31 and 32. The electric brushes 31 and 32 are advantageously clamped upon a wicket 33, which bridges the trough, and are carefully 1nsulated from the wicket 33 by strips of mica.. or other suitable material, as indicated in Figs. III and IV. The parts 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 are made of material suitable for the conducting of electricity and are electrically connected to each other and to a suitable source of electric current at the brushes 31 and 32.

The oscillating electrode rakes 21 and 22 are raised materially above the bottom of the trough so that the current passes through a substantial thickness of the carbon material from one rake to the cast iron bottom and thence through a similar thickness 'to the other electrode rake. If desired, the bottom plates 5 may be made of insulating material such as brick work. in which case the ath of the current is through the charge iiom one electrode rake to the other. In this case it is not necessary to raise the rakes 21 and The rakes 21 and 22 may, if desired, be shaped like the rakes 17 to propel the charge. Butgravity usually provides a suicient propulsive force when the sloping pile of carbon particles at the feed end of the trough is agitated by flat rakes, as illustrated in the drawings.

The current is adjusted to heat the charge around the electrodes to a suitable activating temperature, such as 450 C. Once heated, the charge tends to maintain, or even increase, its heat as it passes through the trough, due to the partial oxidation or combustion of the charge. The average tem perature of the mass is. therefore, regulated and the combustion limited by means of the cooling devices 3, the average tem erature being gradually lowered t'o below t e comtrough, such as illustrated in the drawings,

is generally advantageous. But when our invention is used for revivification purposes. it is frequently possible to activate the material with less combustion than will occur in the o en trough. Hence, it is sometimes desira le to cover the trough in any suitable manner, to control the quantity of air admitted by dampers along the side of the trough and to-prov1de a flue for the discharge of the products of combustion.

Itwill be obvious from the foregoing that many modifications may be made in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention.

What we claim is:

1. In apparatus for activating or reviviying carbon, a long shallow troughprovided with a longitudinal series of rakes, means for causing the rakes to oscillate' lon itudinally to and fro, the rakes being so 's aped as to agitate and gradually propel the charge ing carbon a long shallow stationary trough open to the atmosphere at the top, and means for agitating and gradually pro lling the charge in a relatively thinlayer t rough the trough, and means for heating the charge to an activating temperature.

3. In apparatus for activating or revivifying carbon a long shallow trough, and means for agitating andv gradually pro ellin the charge in a relatively thin layer t roug the trough, and means for heating the char t0 an activating temperature, and coo `ng means for controlling the combustion of the charge at various stages during its passage through the trough.

4. In apparatus for activating and reviviying carbon. a long shallow stationary trough provided with a longitudinal series of rakes, means for causing the rakes to oscillate longitudinally to and fro to agitate and gradually propel the charge from rake to rake through the trough', and means for heating the charge.

5. In apparatus for activating and reviviying carbon, a long shallow trough provided with a pluraht adapted to agitate an gradually propel the charge through the trough, and means for heating the charge, and coolingv meansfor of oscillating rakes controlling the combustion of the char e at various stages during its passagethroug the 6. np apparatus for 'activating or revivifying carbon,'a lon shallow trou rh provided with a plurality o oscillating ra es adapted to agitate and gradually propel the .charge through thetrough, and electrical heating mea'ns including oscillating rake electrodes for heating the charge to an activating temperature. y

7. In apparatus for activating or revivifying carbon, a long shallow trough provided` with a plurality of oscillating rakes adapted to agitato and graduall propel the charge through the trough,an means for heating the charge, and means for cooling the bottom of the trough to control the combustion of the charge A 8. In apparatus for activating or revivifying carbon, a lon shallow trou h provided with a plurality o oscillating ra es adapted to agitate and gradually propel the charge through the trough, ,and electrical heat-ing.

means including oscillating rake electrodes for heatingthe charge toan activating tcmerature, and means for independently cooling various sections of the bottom of the trough to` control the combustion of the charge.

STANLEY A. W. O'KELL. LEONARD WICKEN DEN. 

